5 Badass Resistance Band Exercises for Total-Body Strength

Give the barbells and weight machines a day off and reach for some resistance bands instead. They might look flimsy, but those brightly colored cords are some of the most powerful pieces of equipment in the gym. And if you’re traveling this summer or have limited real estate at home, these bands take up no space at all. Keeping the bands taut while performing your go-to moves will give you comparable strength gains to using traditional weights, according to new research published in the European Journal of Sport Science.

We tapped Kaisa Keranen, a certified trainer and movement coach based in Seattle, for some of her favorite moves incorporating bands. Like the superhuman Keranen is, these resistance band exercises are full-body, high-energy, dynamic movements that are anything but ordinary. Bonus: All you need to try the moves are a pair of looped resistance bands and dumbbells, and two small towels or gliders. Choose a band with light to medium resistance and work your way up to a band with heavier resistance. Give her amped-up moves a go, and you’ll get your heart pumping and fire up muscles from head to toe.

5 Total-Body Resistance Band Exercises from Kaisa Keranen

1. Forward Squat Jump to Press

This move packs the power of a jump squat to an overhead press without added stress on your joints from holding the weights overhead. “The bands are a great alternative to dumbbells because they are easier on your knees when you land,” Keranen says.

How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a band looped under your feet. Grab the top of the band with both hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart, using an underhand grip (a). Sit into a deep squat, and then press your hands up overhead as you jump forward (b). Do eight reps.

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